Ore car double slide gate assembly



Oct 17 1967 w. FLOEHR ORE CAR DOUBLE SLIDE GATE ASSEMBLY Filed March 19, 1965 Inventor: Walter L. Floehf his Attorney United States Patent r 3,347,174 ORE CAR DOUBLE SLIDE GATE ASSEMBLY Walter L.. Floehr, Toledo, hio, assignor to Unitcast Corporation, Toledo, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Mar. 19, 1965, Ser. No. 441,278 7 Claims. (Cl. 10S-282) ABSTRACT 0F THE DISCLOSURE A slide gate assembly for a railway hopper car having for quick dumping an oversize planar .bottom discharge opening boundedby a planar frame and closable by coplanar gates slidable oppositely in the frame and closing against opposite sides of a center crossbrace with a deilector for directing any foreign matter out of the way of closing of the gates.

This invention relates to railway freight cars of the bottom discharge type and has for its primary object the provision of an improved slide gate assembly for such cars for enabling them to be dumped in a minimum of time.

Another object of the invention is to provide a double slide gate assembly for a center opening of an ore car, wherein the gate frame in which the oppositely opening gates slide has a center brace across the opening and the gates are closable upon the brace without interference by any ore particles remaining thereon.

A further object of the invention is to provide a double slide gate assembly for a center opening of an ore car, the oppositely opening gates of which close upon a cross member and not only are not interfered with in closing by foreign matter on the cross member but are openable `and closable in unison.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter in the detailed description, be particularly pointed out in the appended claims and be illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of a preferred embodiment of the double slide gate assembly of the present invention applied to the center opening of an ore car;

FIGURE 2 is an end elevational view of the assembly of FiGURE l;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken along lines 3 3 of FIGURE l with portions removed to more clearly show certain of the details of construction; and

FIGURE 4 is a vertical sectional view on an enlarged scale taken along lines 4 4 of FIGURE 3.

Referring now in detail to the drawings in which like reference characters designate like parts, the improved slide gate assembly of this invention, while applicable to other freight cars having bottom discharge openings adapted to be closed by slide gates, is particularly designed for use on center discharge ore cars and will 'be so described as exemplary of the invention.

Ore cars which discharge through the bottom conventionally have a single discharge opening at the center. An ore car of this type, when designed for use in unit trains, will usually have a capacity `of ninety tons or more and must have a center opening of such large size as to enable it to discharge its lading of ore at destination in a mini- Sdlid Patented Oct. 17, 1967 ICC mum of time. A center discharge ore car designed strictly for use in transporting light ores, rmight have its single discharge opening closable by a single gate or door. However, a single gate is not feasible in a car of high capacity for transporting heavy ores, such as taconite and other iron ores, because the heavy load upon it would make the door extremely difficult, if not impossible, to open for discharging lading. There too is the further diiculty that the usual, centrally open, gate frame, if of a size to bound an oversize discharge opening of a high capacity car for transporting heavy ores in unit trains, would lack sufficient transverse strength to withstand the stresses to which it would be subjected.

As exemplary of its solution of the foregoing problems, the improved slide or discharge gate assembly, designated as 1, has been illustrated applied to an oversize rectangular bottom discharge opening or outlet 2 of a high capacity ore car of the center discharge type which is adapted for transporting heavy ores in unit trains and indicated fragmentarily at 3. For the illustrated rectangular discharge opening Z, the slide gate assembly 1 has a generally rectangular gate frame 4 bounding the opening 2 and welded or otherwise fixed or secured to the downwardly sloping side sheets 5 leading, hopper-like, to the opening. The frame 4 conveniently is formed as a weldment 'built up ot structural members rolled to shape and welded together and has parallel side members 6 connected and spaced inwardly of their ends by parallel end members 7. A pair of oppositely opening slide gates 8 are slideably mounted for reciprocable movement, longitudinally of the frame 4 and transversely of the car 3, on a common pair of horizontally disposed, longitudinally extending, upwardly facing slideways, guideways or tracks 9 formed on the side members 6 at opposite sides of the opening 2. Each gate 4 at each side preferably is held against tilting on the slideways 9 'by inner and outer retainer plates 10 and 1l, respectively, each spaced above the adjoining slideway and overlying or projecting over and slideably engageable with a side portion of the upper face 12 of the adjoining or related gate. Each of the retainer, guide or anti-tilting plates 10 and I1 may be the bottom flange of an angle 13 welded to the adjoining side member 6.

Positioned below the center sill 14, the frame 4 must rely mainly upon itself for transverse or lateral strength and cannot have sutlicient strength to withstand the stresses imposed upon it by a load of heavy ore without intermediate lateral bracing of the side members 6. The necessary bracing is supplied in the illustrated embodiment by an inverted channel or channel `or cross member 15 centered longitudinally on and extending laterally between and welded or otherwise fixed or secured at its ends to the side members at opposite sides of the discharge opening 2. Spanning or extending across the opening 2, the center lateral or cross brace 15 divides the opening longitudinally into two equal parts or sub-openings 16, one at either side and each closed by one of the gates 8.

The upper surface 17 of the center cross brace 15 at least toward either side, is flat and planar or level with the slideways 9 and, in a closing operation, the gates 8 slide from opposite sides onto that surface, so that, when closed, they are supported at their inner ends on the cross brace. A difficulty, if the upper surface 17 were uninterrupted and the gates 8 were intended to meet or abut end- Wise across it in closed position, would be that any ore particles or other foreign matter left or remaining on that surface after the lading was discharged, would jam or lodge between and prevent closing of the gates. This is avoided by forming on or fixing to the upper surface 17, midway of its sides, a slope sheet, detiector or double wedge 18 of inverted V-shape, which has its ridge or apex 19 centered laterally on the upper surface. and disposed thereabove substantially at the level of the upper faces 12 of the gates. The sides or side wedges of the deflector 13 are inclined or slope downwardly from the ridge, preferably at the same angle or inclination, toward and meet the fiat, horizontal sides of the upper surface inwardly of the sides of the cross brace 15.

Conveniently an inverted, equi-legged angle iron interrupting and resting on the upper surface 17 and welded theretoalong the outer ends of its legs forming the sloping sides 20, the defiector 18, while extending longitudinally along the center cross brace 15, projects beyond opposite ends thereof across the slideways 9 to the sides of the side members 6 thereabove and thus are substantially coterminus laterally with the gates 8. With the deflector 18 interposed between and spacing the confronting or contiguous inner ends 21 of the gates 8 in the latters closed position, any ore particles `or other debris or foreign matter lying on the exposed parts 22 of the upper surface 17 of the center cross brace or cross member 15 at opposite sides of the deiiector 18 during a closing operation, will, as the gates reach and begin to slide across those parts, be pushed by the gates inner ends 21 toward and, depending on their size, upwardly along the sloping sides 20' of the deflector 18, out of the way of and unable to interfere with closing of the gates.

Although in other installations it might be desirable that the gates be operable or driveable individually, when applied to an ore car used in a unit frame the gates 8 should be operable in unison.` Obtainable by a toggle or other suitable means, the desired operation or drive in unison is obtained in the illustrated embodiment by the driving engagement between racks 23 on the undersides of the gates 8 and pinions 24, the latter of which are mounted against relative rotation on drive or operating shafts 25. The ends of the drive shafts 25 are received in downwardly opening sockets in the side members 6 and, for ready removal of the gates 8, the brackets 27 journalling the ends of the shafts, are bolted or otherwise releasably attached to the side members. With square or like heads 28 on their ends at one side of the frame 4, the drive shafts 25 are interconnected either at the same or, as illustrated, their opposite ends for turning or rotation in unison but in opposite directions, by a-suitable driving` connection, such as the illustrated connecting shaft 29 extending between and driveably connected at opposite ends to the adjoining ends of the drive shafts 25 by bevel gearing indicated at 30. With this arrangement, the assembly 1 can be operated from either side of a car by applying a suitable turning tool to the head 28 of the drive shaft 25 at-that side and, on such operation, the gates 8 will be moved in unison and in opposite directions.

From the above detailed description it will be apparent that there has been provided an improved double slide gate assembly which is adapted particularly for closing an oversize discharge opening of a high capacity center discharge ore car and, when so applied, both enables the car to be discharged of its lading in a minimum of time and prevents `interference by any ore particles left in the opening with subsequent closing of its gates. It should be understood that the described and disclosed embodiment is merely exemplary of the invention and that all modifications are intended to be included that do not depart from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

1. A slide gate assembly for a planar bottom discharge opening of a railway car, comprising a planar frame bounding said opening, a pair of coplanar slide gates slideably mounted in said frame and oppositely movable therein for opening and closing said opening, cross means 2. A slide gate assembly for a planar bottom dischargey opening of a railway car, comprising a planar frame bounding said opening, a pair of coplanar slide gates slideably mounted in said frame and oppositely movable therein for opening and closing said opening, a cross brace fixed to said frame and centered longitudinally on and spanning said opening, said cross brace receiving and supporting inner ends of said gates in a closed position thereof, and means on said cross brace and spacing said ends in said closed position of said gates for deflecting any foreign matter pushed thereon on said cross brace by said ends out of the way of closing of said gates.

3. A slide gate assembly for a ,bottom discharge opening of a railway car below a center sill thereof, comprising l a planar frame bounding said opening, a pair of coplanar slide gates slideably mounted in said frame and oppositely movable therein for opening and closing said opening, a cross brace fixed to said frame and centered longitudinally on and spanning saidopening, said cross brace having an upper surface on which inner ends of said gates are received and supported in a closed position thereof, and wedge means on and disposed linwardly of sides of and projecting above said upper surface for deliecting upwardly out of the Way of closing of said gates any foreign matter pushed thereon across said surface by said ends during said closing.

4. A slide gate assembly for a bottom discharge opening of a center discharge ore car below `a center sill thereof, comprising a planar frame fixed to said car about said opening, a pair of coplanar slide gates slideably mounted on said frame and movable oppositely into and out of said opening from and toward opposite ends thereof for closing and opening said opening, drive means on said frame for driving said gates oppositely in unison, a cross brace fixed to said frame and centered longitudinally on and spanning said opening, said cross brace receiving and supporting inner ends of said gates in a closed position thereof, and means on said cross brace and operative during movement of said gates toward said closed position for deflecting any foreign matter pushed thereon by said ends out of the way of closing of said gates.

5. A slide gate assembly for a bottom discharge opening of a center discharge ore car below a center sill thereof, comprising a planar frame fixed to said car about said opening, a pair of coplanar slide gates slideably mounted on said frame and movable oppositely into and out of said opening from and toward opposite ends thereof for closing and opening said opening, drive meanson said frame and selectively operable from opposite sides of said car for opening and closing said gates in unison, a cross brace fixed to said frame and centered longitudinally on and spanning said opening, said cross brace receiving and supporting inner ends of said gates in a closed position thereof, and means on said cross brace and operative during movement of said gates toward said closed position for defiecting any foreign matter pushed thereon by said ends out of the Way of closing of said gates.

6. A slide gate assembly for a bottom discharge opening of a center discharge ore car below a center sill thereof, comprising a planar frame fixed to said car about said opening, a pair of coplanar slide gates slideably mounted in said frame on common slideways and movable in opposite directions thereon for closing and opening said opening, drive means on said frame for driving said gates oppositely in unison between open and closed positions, a cross brace fixed to said frame and extending across and centered longitudinally on said opening, said cross brace having an upper surface planar with said slideways for receiving and supporting inner ends of said gates in said closed position thereof, and wedge means on said cross brace and disposed inwardly of sides and projecting upwardly above said upper surface thereof for deecting above said surface out of the way of closing of said gates any foreign matter pushed thereon across said surface by said ends during said closing.

7. A slide gate assembly for a bottom discharge opening1 of a center discharge ore car below a center sill thereof, comprising a planar frame fixed to said car about said opening, a pair of coplanar slide gates slideably mounted in said frame on common slideways and movable in opposite directions thereon for closing and opening said opening, drive means on said frame and selectively operable from opposite sides of said car for closing and opening said gates in unison, a cross brace Xed to said frame and extending across and centered longitudinally on said opening, said cross brace having an upper surface planar with said slideways for receiving and supporting inner ends of said gates in said closed position thereof, and

wedge means on said cross brace and disposed inwardly of sides and projecting upwardly above said upper surf-ace thereof for deflecting above said surface out of the way of closing of said gates any foreign matter pushed thereon across said surface by said ends during said closing.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,122,918 12/1914 Hart et al. 10S-282 X 1,685,089 9/1925 Kassler 105-280 X 2,051,985 8/ 1936 Cartzdafner 10S-282 2,751,861 6/ 1956 Withall 105--282 3,106,899 10/1963 Dorey 10S-282 X FOREIGN PATENTS 11,873 1903 Great Britain. 21,274 1905 Great Britain.

ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner.

H. BELTRAN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A SLIDE GATE ASSEMBLY FOR A PLANAR BOTTOM DISCHARGE OPENING OF A RAILWAY CAR, COMPRISING A PLANAR FRAME BOUNDING SAID OPENING, A PAIR OF COPLANAR SLIDE GATES SLIDEABLY MOUNTED IN SAID FRAME AND OPPOSITELY MOVABLE THEREIN FOR OPENING AND CLOSING SAID OPENING, CROSS MEANS FIXED TO SAID FRAME AND CENTERED LONGITUDINALLY ON AND SPANNING SAID OPENING, SAID CROSS MEANS RECEIVING AND SUPPORTING INNER ENDS OF SAID GATES IN A CLOSED POSITION THEREOF, AND MEANS ON SAID CROSS MEANS AND OPERATIVE DURING MOVEMENT OF SAID GATES TOWARD SAID CLOSED POSITION FOR DEFLECTING ANY FOREIGN MATTER PUSHED THEREON BY SAID ENDS OUT OF THE WAY OF CLOSING OF SAID GATES. 